I know that you don’t have to love every protagonist in every film, but I somehow found myself watching multiple films at the Chattanooga Film Festival, where each lead made me want to rage-quit the movie. That’s not fair to the filmmaker or the film, so I stuck it out each time. This would be one of those times.

Merl (Colin Burgess) never leaves his house. His home is also enormous and challenging to comprehend. So yes, you can see why he needs to bring on a roommate — the second CFF movie where someone got a roommate and it ruined their life — to make his rent.

That new friend is Larry (Paul Rothery), who has just escaped from jail and is constantly being watched by his criminal associates.

Director and writer Cory Santilli has agoraphobia, and this has many moments that prove this, as Merl can’t leave this place even when he’s months behind on paying the landlady. One reason he never leaves? There’s a giant version of his head sticking out of the front yard.

It’s a quirky film that just didn’t resonate with me, but you may find something to love here. Most of the other reviews I’ve checked online have been overwhelmingly positive, so I think I need to give this another watch.

You can watch this and many other films at CFF by buying a pass on their website. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting reviews and articles and updating my Letterboxd list of watched films.